Definition

Noun: 1. A property settlement secured to a wife by law: A "legal jointure" is a provision, established before marriage, where a specific estate or property is settled upon a wife. This arrangement is made in place of her traditional common-law right to a dower (a life interest in a portion of her deceased husband's estate). It is a formal, legally binding agreement.

Usage

• The term is primarily used in historical and legal contexts, specifically in property law relating to marriage settlements.
• It refers to the specific estate or income secured to the wife, not the act of securing it.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The marriage contract included a legal jointure of the manor house and its surrounding lands for the bride.
  • By accepting the legal jointure, she forfeited her future claim to a dower right in his other properties.

Advanced Usage

• "To settle a jointure": This phrase describes the act of creating the legal jointure agreement.
  • The family's lawyer was tasked with settling a jointure upon the heir's prospective wife.

Variants and Related Words

• Jointure (n): The more common, general term for the estate or property settled. "Legal jointure" emphasizes its formal, statutory nature.
• Dower (n): The traditional right or interest it replaces.
• Marriage Settlement (n): The broader legal agreement of which a jointure may be a part.
• Tenant in tail (n): A related property law term; a jointure could be settled out of an entailed estate.

Synonyms

• Settled estate (for a wife)
• Marriage portion (in this specific, secured sense)
• Provision

Notes

• This is a specialized term from English common law, largely historical. Modern equivalents are prenuptial agreements or specific trusts established within a marriage settlement. The key distinction is its function as a pre-arranged, fixed alternative to the dower.

Noun

1. (law) an estate secured to a prospective wife as a marriage settlement in lieu of a dower